There are many ways to gauge a film’s legacy: critical tributes, best-of lists, online ratings — not to mention Oscars and a host of other honors.
As a lifelong reader, I like to ask how many books have been written about (or inspired by) the movie. Until this year, I thought the record-holder was Psycho — which has generated no less than 10 different volumes. But a quick online search reveals that It’s a Wonderful Life has produced at least 14 — including two cookbooks!
In light of my December 11 talk on this beloved classic (Brown Library, 5:30 p.m. — free!), I’m working on a few of those tomes right now. So here’s some cool trivia regarding one of America’s greatest films:
Released in Manhattan in December 1946, Wonderful Life (IAWL) was initially a box-office flop; ranking 26th the following year (after it had gone wide), it was eventually tagged as a financial loss for RKO Pictures.
But then, over the ensuing decades, the movie’s copyright lapsed, enabling widespread holiday showings that swiftly revived its reputation. By 2006, the prestigious American Film Institute had given IAWL top spot on their list of 100 most inspirational films. And the movie has been praised by such masters as Kurosawa, Lynch, del Toro and Spielberg — with the latter placing it first among his own faves.
(A recent USA Today article puts Mr. Spielberg in good company; apparently the film is Pope Leo’s favorite, too.)
In its time, IAWL was tapped for five Oscars, winning only one — for “technical achievement,” related to its ground-breaking creation of “chemical snow.”
“Before then,” says Wikipedia, “movie snow was usually made from untoasted cornflakes, which were so loud when stepped on that dialogue had to be redubbed afterwards.”
And before you get uppity about those Oscar snubs: Remember this was 1946; no film on earth could’ve defeated the post-war juggernaut Best Years of Our Lives.
As for actual development and production:
IAWL was based on an unpublished story that had been sent to its author’s friends as a Christmas gift; initial scripters included Clifford Odets, Dalton Trumbo and Dorothy Parker (though none of these were credited).
While James Stewart and Donna Reed landed the lead roles, others in the running included Cary Grant, Henry Fonda, Olivia de Havilland, Jean Arthur and Ginger Rogers.
Lionel Barrymore was a natural choice for Potter, as he had famously played Scrooge in various radio renderings of Christmas Carol.
(Ever notice how three Xmas standards all have a scowling misanthrope driving the plot? I refer of course to the Grinch, Mr. Scrooge and Potter. And note as well that both Mr. Potter and Ebenezer are in the business of lending money at exorbitant rate. Plus, both Carol and IAWL feature supernatural visitors playing with the past and future. Hmmm…)
Frank Albertson — here playing George Bailey’s romantic rival, Sam Wainwright — went on to later fame as another rich man: In Hitchcock’s Psycho, he’s the Texas tycoon who tempts Marion Crane with $40,000.
Then there’s the familiar face of the young man who, during the high-school dance, suggests that the gym floor be opened so the pool underneath can gobble up the hoofers; that’s Alfalfa from the Young Rascals.
And near the end, Nick the bartender — who harasses Mr. Gower and disses Clarence about bells and angels — well, that’s Sheldon Leonard; boomers know him from the credits of various hit TV shows he produced: Andy Griffith, Gomer Pyle, Dick Van Dyke and I Spy.
Speaking of Gower: the actor playing the town druggist — owner of the store where young George works — is H. B. Warner, whose career spanned more than 130 titles; at the time he was best known for playing Jesus in Cecil B. DeMille’s original King of Kings (silent, 1927).
One final cast note: There’s a second “Jimmy” in this film — namely, the raven who apparently serves as mascot at the Bailey Building and Loan. According to Michael Willian’s book on IAWL, Jimmy — who was found and trained by legendary Hollywood animal wrangler Curley Twiford — could deal cards, undo zippers and comb hair, among other skills. Stewart claimed the bird was so smart it required fewer re-takes than the human performers. Jimmy the raven has his own Wikipedia page, where we learn that he appeared in perhaps 1,000 films — including The Wizard of Oz, in which he lands on Scarecrow during one early scene.
As you can see, after nearly 80 years, IAWL has accumulated lots of trivia — some of which appears to be legendary (like the names Bert and Ernie). But we’re out of space and will save that for next week.
In the meantime, put December 11 on your calendar — and join us for a wonderful night!
